Psychology/Sociology

Psychology and sociology together examine human behaviour and social life from two complementary vantage points. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour, asking how people think, perceive, feel, learn and act, and how those processes can be understood through careful empirical research. Sociology examines the social structures, institutions and cultural forces that shape human life, asking how factors such as class, race, gender, religion and inequality influence what is possible for people and how societies reproduce or change themselves over time.

Each discipline deepens the other: psychology without sociology misses the social context of behaviour, and sociology without psychology risks reducing individuals to products of their environment.

At the University of Glasgow you will study psychology and sociology over four years of full-time study, developing rigorous scientific method in psychology alongside the critical and theoretical traditions of sociology. A year abroad is built into the programme, providing an international academic experience that broadens your perspective on both disciplines. You will develop skills in research design, statistical analysis, qualitative methods and theoretical argument across both fields, building the intellectual range to address complex questions about mind, behaviour and society.

The typical tariff of 232 reflects the academic demands of a dual-discipline programme at one of the UK's leading research universities.

Graduates of psychology and sociology programmes work in mental health and counselling roles, social research, public policy, human resources, marketing and consumer behaviour analysis, community and social development, education and academia. Psychology graduates who wish to practise as psychologists typically need postgraduate training after their undergraduate degree. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in psychology, sociology, social work, public health or related fields.

The combination of individual and social-level analysis is particularly valuable for careers that require understanding people and organisations in their wider context.